Joint Programme Committee: training policy

l' t I Onchocerciasis Control Progrrmms in the Volta River Basin area Progranme de Lutte contre l'Oncho@rcosc dans la R6gion du Bassin de la Volta JOINT PROGR{MME COMMITTEE Officc of the Chairman JPC.CCP COMITE CONJOINT DU PROGRAMME Bureau du Pr6sident JOINT PROGEAI'IME COMMITTEE Sixth session JPC6..7 ORIGTNAI, i FBENCII $eptenber 1985 Geneva 10-13 December 1985 Proyisional Agenda Itero 5 TBAINING POLICY 1. Introduction From the very outset training has alw4ys been a concern of the Onchocerciqsis Control Progranrme (OCP), aware 4s it is that for 4 large part success can be achieyed only through staff who haye been tralned for cleazly defined tasks.. It is for that reason that fellowships have Been awarded for conyentional and/of field training. Oyer the years the need to define a training policy h4s come to be felE both @ong the Progr:nnners statutory bodies and among the various conmissions, Many recoruendations haye been uade, but it seems ioport4nt to rec4ll the one cQn- tained in the f inal report (August 1981) of the Independent Cgryission (R23) . "In order that training and cqree? development are given adequate atlenEion at OCP and in the countries, we reconrmend that a special unit shoEl,d be estqblished pithin OCP, It should be responsible for staff deyel.oprnent ln the Progra.nrne, and assist the Parti- cipating C;overnments in deyeloping the careers of nationals trained under OCP 4usPices". The "Proposal for a long term strategy" document (JPc5.7=OCP/84.4) states i "With the increasing emphasis on devolution and the import4nt rqle which the Prggrape c4n be expected to play in enhqncing and reinforcing health care systetrs in the ParticiPating Countries as part of overall socioeconomic and rural develop'qent, a broadening of the scope of OCP training will be called for". 2. Terms of Reference It was following these recorsnendations Ehac the manag€ment pf the Progralrtte undertook to prepare a document on training poLicy closely related tc deyolution, since preparations for devolution are already in progres.s and will csyer OCPls Phase III and beyond. If this policy is to be viable and acceptable, it ous.t be based qn infofDation gathered from the beneficiaries and the users, lteetings were therefore held with : I JPC6.7 Page 2 - the OCP chiefs of unit; - the administrative authorities and technicians of the Participating Countries and those of the countries of the Western Extension (Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Senegal and Sierra Leone). 3. Elements of the policy It emerges clearly from the discussions that OCPrs policy is and must be closely related to devolution and that its objective is to make available to the Participating Countries managerial and field staff capable, on the one hand, of taking over and, on the other hand, of working together \^rith OCP in the execution of the exploratory and preparatory phases of its operations. 3.1. Priority discip1 ine s All the missions and surveys carried out in the Participating Countries bear wit- ness to a manifest lack of qualified personnel. It i9 clear that the devolution process cannot be launched under these conditions unless emphasis is put on the sensitive disciplines directly related to the Programers activities, i.e.: - Entouology - Hydrobiology - Epidemiology - Parasitology - Ophthalmology - Health economics. The objective of the Prograrmne is to eliminate onchocerciasis as a disease of public health and socioeconomic importance. OCP is, however, not l-osing sight of either the other cormunicable endemic and epidemic diseases raging in the area (trypanosomiasis, dracunculiasis, yellow fever, malaria, schistosomiasis, trachoma, leprosy, meningitis, etcrr.) or the other disciplines directly or indirectly related to health (sanitation, nutrition, health education, statistics, agriculture, water resource management and forestry, renewable energies, sociology, management, research, etc...), but prudence and wisdorq demand that training in these "peripheral activities" be entrusted to and financed by the WgO regional Office in Brazzaville (AFRO), the other specialized inst- itutions of the United Nations system (FAO, UNDP, UNESCO) or bilateral aid. 3.2 Conditions for the ar{rard of fellowships If the Participating Countries are to derive maximum benefit and guarantee from the training, certain conditions roust be met ; - Candidates should be selected from anong people with at least two yearst service in the Civil Service of their country of origin ; - The Goyernments should undertake Judicious use of their nationals once they have been trained (re-installation, guarantee of employuent) ; - OCP should participate in the selection of candidates. JPC6, 3.3. Types of training It is worth recalllng the three leve1s for which fellowships are awarded: = Level I is for canilidates who alreatly have a university degree and are aiming4t specialization (rCpRO i.s responsi.ble for placementl duration: L2 to 36 monihs); -' LeyeN ts for canilidates who have alreatly undergone specialized training and would like tostudymore particularly the aspects of their speciality as they appear iYl the Prograrune area (duratlonr 3 to 12 months); - Le'rel III ls for meilical offi'cers and technicians who would like to familiarize themselves with the Progranrmels methodology (duration: 4 to 6 months). 3.3. 1 Conyen! i'onal trairling This is ah:eady being offered to senior officers and technicians in the different faculties and training instltutes wi'th a view to establishing nati'onaI tea4s, It should be supplemented by periods of practical traiYring in OCPIs sectors and sub-sectors. This will contribute not only to tralneest acquiring antl imp:ioving their ski11s, but also to establishing close cooperation between the tralners (Institutes) and the users(Partlcipating Counrriies antt OCp). 3.3.2 Continuous traini.ng and field training This type of training, which is so much desired by the Participating Count.ries, will be offered in the form of refresher courses, workshops, practical training, andbriefing and consultative meetings. OCPfs units have a major role to play and must henceforth work Eogether with the national teams in simple and detailed epidemiological evaluations. 3.4. Places where traini ng will be given To enable the fellowship holders tostudyunder better conditions, it is advisablethat the places where training is to be given should preferably be situated in the African Region and for that reason a list is given below containing a certain number of faculties and institutes. Enquiries are being made arnong institutes in the English-speakingcountries(Lagos, Ibadan, Jos, Institute of Aquatic Biology in Achimota) and Portuguese-speaking countries. Institutes in Europe and Arnerica will continue to offer training in disciplines noE catered for in Africa. Practical tralning will be offered not only in the institutes, but also and above all in the Programne sectors and sub-sectors. 4, Ilelllts rt goes urithout saying that planning is essential. It will require continuous and suslained consultatlons throughout the devolution phase so that corrective measures needed can be taken. ageP 7 3 i I I i